Pastoral Relief and Retreat

I am Pastor at Poquonock Community Church, Congregational (CCCC) in Windsor, CT. My wife Jama and I live in Wetherfield, CT.
We'd like to invite you to Terre Haute -- High Ground -- That's what Jama and I call the retreat space on our property. We offer free intentional get-away retreats. We'll feed you and house you and give you space to be with the Lord. All are welcome; no questions asked.
This blog is my daily devotional journal. I write it because it is so easy to go for weeks without ever taking the time to be alone with God. Writing helps me develop a discipline I need.

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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

ENFP

Perceiving then that they were about
to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the
mountain by himself.

When evening came, his disciples
went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.
It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough
because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four
miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they
were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they
were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land
to which they were going.

(John 6:15-21 ESV)

ENFP.

Beginning with his first miracle in John 2 (the Wedding at
Cana), Jesus has been progressively building to grander and grander
miracles.Here are two or three in
succession.But it isn’t the miracles
themselves we want to focus on today, as amazing as they are.

You may be familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicators.They help people who work as
part of a team learn how to work closely with others without being driven crazy
by the differences in personality styles.ENFP is short-hand for “Extrovert – Intuitive – Feeling – Perceiving.”Look at what the disciples experienced about Jesus:

That Jesus was an Extrovert may seem like an
understatement.Here were the crowds
trying to take him by force to make him king!Jesus had no problem standing
up in public and speaking boldly.He
loved people, and was rarely alone.Jesus was also intuitive.He went
off alone when he needed to in order to get in touch with deeper things.Sometimes that combination can be very
disarming.Here’s the Master who is
always right out there in front of everyone and all of a sudden he disappears
and heads up a mountain to be alone.

Did one of us on the team offend him?What did we do wrong?

Feeling.Jesus felt
deeply the things he felt and attuned well to the feelings of others.He must have come to the disciples for a
reason when they were out in the middle of the Sea.We never really find out what that reason
was.But the first thing he says to
them when they see him on the water is, “Don’t be afraid.”He felt no fear walking on water in the
middle of a storm at sea.He didn’t want
them to feel fear either.

The passage begins with the word “perceiving.”He could see into people’s motives and
plans.Sure he was extraordinary that
way, but really that part didn’t take a miracle.He just perceived that they were going to try
and force kingship on him.

Maybe you’re an ISTJ as part of Jesus’ team.An
Introvert – Sensing – Thinking – Judging person would have a tough time
understanding how an ENFP works!I’m no
expert on Myers-Briggs.In fact, even in
writing this sort of tongue-in-cheek assessment of Jesus I’ve probably
completely misrepresented Myers-Briggs.But if you’ve ever felt like you can’t relate personally to what you’re
experiencing of Jesus in the Gospels, it may be that you’re trying to apply the
way you’re wired to Jesus.

He isn’t remote.He
puts himself right out there.He has
great intuitive ways.He feels deeply
and loves deeply.And he is not
primarily here to judge.Maybe
understanding that will give you the peace to be who you are in his
presence.

Jon

PS… any big Myers-Briggs people out there who want to set me
straight… feel free.